System and method for generating personalized meal plans

• US 6,872,077 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2001
• Issued: 03/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solos Health, LLC
• Original Assignee: John J. Yeager
• Inventors: Yeager, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thai, Xuan M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Christman, Kathleen M.
• Application Number:
  US09/948,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20030091964A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,300 Days
• Field of Search: 434/127, 434/322, 434236- 8, 705/2, 705/14, 705/26, 600/300
• US Class Current: 434/127
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/00 ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of medical references

Abstract

A system for personalized meal planning is provided which includes a client device and a meal planning center configured to communicate with the client device and to receive a customer'"'"'s information, including a weight designator, a gender designator, a goal designator, and an activity level designator. The meal planning center includes a storage device and a processing unit. The storage device is configured to store recipe template files having an ingredient designator and a plurality of recipe rule factors, which include a nutrient contribution value, a minimum ingredient value, and a maximum ingredient value. A plurality of recipe rule factors are each assigned to each ingredient designator. The processing unit is configured to determine a nutritional allowance based upon the customer information and to create a recipe that satisfies the nutritional allowance by using the recipe rule factors assigned to the ingredient. The meal planning center is further configured to transmit the recipe to the client device.

Claims

1. In a computerized meal planning system having a communications device, a data storage device, and a processing unit in communication with both the data storage device and the communications device, a method of meal planning comprising:

receiving client information via electronic transmission to the communications device, the client information including designators denoting weight, gender, goal, activity level, and lean body mass;

executing computer-readable instructions by the processing unit for assigning a plurality of nutritional allowances, including nutritional allowances for carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, the plurality of nutritional allowance based on the client information;

executing computer-readable instructions by the processing unit for selecting a recipe template from a database on the data storage device, the recipe template having,

a plurality of ingredient designators, and

a plurality of recipe rule factors assigned to each ingredient designator to include,

at least one contribution value per unit measurement of ingredient for at least one of the plurality of nutrients,

a minimum allocatable amount of ingredient,

a maximum allocatable amount of ingredient, and

a nutritional priority value assigned to each ingredient designator annotating priority of use in satisfying one of the plurality of nutritional allowances;

executing computer-readable instructions by the processing limit for setting a recipe allocation amount for each ingredient within a range bounded by the minimum allocatable amount and a maximum allocatable amount for each ingredient to satisfy the plurality of nutritional allowances within a predetermined range for each nutritional allowance, the computer-readable instructions further including instructions that sequentially determine amounts for each ingredient based upon the nutritional priority values, wherein the nutritional priority value assigned to each ingredient denotes priority along an ordinal range having a first priority and subsequent priorities through to a lowest priority for at least one of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, thereby resulting in a recipe having nutritional contributions of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats within the predetermined range for each of the plurality nutritional allowances; and

delivering a recipe with each ingredient and corresponding recipe allocation amount to the client device via electronic transmission.

2. A method of meal planning as defined in claim 1;

the computer-readable instructions that set a recipe allocation amount for each ingredient designator further comprising;

(a) instructions for determining if the nutritional allowance of a selected nutrient from the plurality of nutrients is satisfied with the plurality of ingredients set at default values and proceeding to following steps if no;

(b) instructions for selecting an ingredient assigned the highest priority value for the selected nutrient;

(c) instructions for attempting to satisfy the nutritional allowance of the first nutrient by adjusting the recipe allocation amount of selected ingredient from the minimum allocatable amount up to the maximum allocatable amount, proceeding to step (d) if not satisfied and if satisfied skipping to step (f);

(d) inscriptions for selecting a subsequent ingredient assigned a subsequent priority along the ordinal range for the first nutrient;

(e) instructions for attempting to satisfy the nutritional allowance of the selected nutrient by adjusting the recipe allocation amount of the subsequent ingredient from the minimum allocatable amount up to the maximum allocatable amount, repeating step (d) if not satisfied and if proceeding following steps; and

(f) instructions for repeating steps (a) through (e) for all of the plurality of nutrients.

3. A meal planning system for automated meal planning comprising:

a communications device configured to receive client information from a client device, the client information including designators denoting weight, gender, goal, activity level, and lean body mass;

data storage device configured to store recipe template flies having,

a plurality of ingredient designators, and

a plurality of recipe rule factors assigned to each ingredient designator to include

at least one contribution value per unit measurement of ingredient for at least one of the plurality of nutrients,

a minimum allocatable amount of ingredient,

a maximum allocatable amount of ingredient,

a nutritional priority value assigned to each ingredient designator annotating priority of use in satisfying one of the plurality of nutritional allowances, the nutritional priority value assigned to each ingredient denotes priority along an ordinal range having a first priority and subsequent priorities through to a lowest priority for at least one of the plurality of nutrients;

a computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions stored therein, the instructions including,

instructions for creating a recipe having prescribed nutritional contributions of carbohydrates;

proteins, and fats, wherein the prescribed nutritional contributions are based upon a client'"'"'s nutritional allowances for carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, the recipe being created from the recipe template retrieved from the database on the data storage device, and

instructions for setting a recipe allocation amount for each ingredient within a range bounded by the minimum allocatable amount and a maximum allocatable amount for each ingredient, thereby resulting in the recipe having the prescribed nutritional contributions of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats; and

at least one processing unit in communication with the data storage device, the computer-readable medium, and the communications device via electronic transmission, the at least one processing unit configured execute the instructions on the computer-readable medium, thereby generating the recipe.

4. A meal planning system as defined in claim 3, wherein the communications device is further configured to transmit the recipe to the client device.

5. A meal planning system as defined in claim 3, wherein the at least one processing unit comprises a plurality of processing units.

6. A meal planning system as defined in claim 5, wherein each processor of the plurality of processing units is in communication with the data storage device, the computer-readable medium and the communications device, and is configured execute the instructions on the computer-readable medium.

7. A meal planning system as defined in claim 5, wherein the plurality of processing units in the aggregate is in communication with the data storage device, the computer-readable medium, and the communications device, and is configured-execute the instructions on the computer-readable medium.

8. In a computerized meal planning system having a communications device, a data storage device, and a processing unit in communication with both the data storage device, a method of meal planning comprising:

executing computer-readable instructions by the process unit that create a recipe having prescribed nutritional contributions of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, wherein the prescribed nutritional contributions are based upon a client'"'"'s nutritional allowances for carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, the recipe being created from a recipe template retrieved from a database on the data storage device, the recipe template having,

a plurality of ingredient designators, and

recipe rule factors assigned to at least three ingredient designators, the rule factors of each ingredient designator including,

a contribution value per unit measurement of ingredient selected from a list consisting of carbohydrates per unit measurement, proteins per unit measurement, and fats per unit measurement,

a minimum allocatable amount of ingredient,

a maximum allocatable amount of ingredient, and

a nutritional priority value assigned to each ingredient designator annotating priority of use in satisfying one of the plurality of nutritional allowances, the nutritional priority value assigned to each ingredient denoting priority from a first priority through to a lowest priority for at least one of the plurality of nutrients;

the instructions including instructions that set a recipe allocation amount for each ingredient within a range bounded by the minimum allocatable amount and a maximum allocatable amount for each ingredient, thereby resulting in the recipe having the prescribed nutritional contributions of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats; and

delivering the recipe to a client device via electronic transmission.

9. A method of meal planning as defined in claim 8, the instructions that set a recipe allocation amount for each ingredient further comprising:

(a) instructions for determining if the nutritional allowance of a selected nutrient from the plurality of nutrients is satisfied with the plurality of ingredients set at default values and proceeding to following steps if no;

(b) instructions for selecting an ingredient assigned the highest priority value for the selected nutrient;

(c) instructions for attempting to satisfy the nutritional allowance of the first nutrient by adjusting the recipe allocation amount of selected ingredient from the minimum allocatable amount up to the maximum allocatable amount, proceeding to step (d) if not satisfied and if satisfied skipping to step (f);

(d) instructions for selecting a subsequent ingredient assigned a subsequent priority along the ordinal range for the first nutrient;

(e) instructions for attempting to satisfy the nutritional allowance of the selected nutrient by adjusting the recipe allocation amount of the subsequent ingredient from the minimum allocatable amount up to the maximum allocatable amount, repeating step (d) if not satisfied and if proceeding following steps; and

(f) instructions for repeating steps (a) through (e) for all of the plurality of nutrients.